Tostadas to kimchi bowls — and it’s all gluten-free

Since 2018, San Antonio chef Leo Davila has built a following from winning a series of taco throwdowns and staging farmers market pop-up events and restaurant takeovers as Catch the Wave. Now he has opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Stix & Stone. Its menu features the tastes of both Asia and Mexico — and it’s all gluten-free.

Located near the intersection of Bandera and Wurzbach roads in Leon Valley, the new 34-seat restaurant opened for limited service last week. The name references how most of the food is served — on skewers and in stoneware bowls.

“I come from Chinese-Mexican parents, and we would go back and forth eating those cuisines at home. I wanted to cook the food I grew up loving, so it was a natural to look for ways to combine them,” Davila said.

Mexican items include street corn, blue corn tostadas with a choice of protein (pork belly, smoked brisket or shredded chicken) and taco flights. The Asian dishes include Korean fried cauliflower, yakitori chicken, pork belly and kimchi bowls.

Every dish is gluten-free. “I wanted to prove that gluten-free food could still be delicious food, and we want to be a safe place for customers with

dietary restrictions,” Davila said.

For now, it’s BYOB, but Stix &

Stone will serve margaritas and mimosas starting this summer. A regular schedule will start in coming weeks as he adds staff to his restaurant, and he also will launch a Sunday brunch.

Stix & Stone, 5718B Wurzbach Road,

210-592-1147, Facebook: @stixsandstone. Hours (temporary): 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays.

Stix & Stone Among the Asian options —Brussels sprouts and kimchi.